The condition of traffic head constable Anil Aiytodekar, 42, who was set on fire by an autorickshaw driver, is stable. He was shifted to Masina Hospital on Thursday.

The condition of traffic head constable Anil Aiytodekar, 42, who was set on fire by an autorickshaw driver, is stable. He was shifted to Masina Hospital on Thursday.

Auto driver Mahendra Kewat, originally from Uttar Pradesh, has been remanded to police custody till November 3. He claims that he was agitated after Aiytodekar fined him for not having proper documents for his vehicle on Wednesday evening, the Manikpur police said.

Kewat returned after an hour with a can of petrol and poured it on Aiytodekar from behind. He set the traffic policeman on fire and fled from the spot.

Aiytodekar was first taken to Golden Park Hospital for treatment. Inspector Chandrakant Jadhav said: “Kewat is a history sheeter. He was booked for rape in 2008 by the Vasai Gaon police. After serving a short sentence, he was released on bail."

"In 2008, he was booked for assaulting a traffic constable for a trivial issue. That case too was registered by the Vasai Gaon police.”

The police are trying to find out if there is some other reason behind Kewat’s actions. “So far he claims that that he set Aiytodekar on fire as he had fined him,” said Jadhav.